This invention relates to a process and the corresponding apparatus for effecting chemical syntheses under high pressure with heterogeneous catalysis, from such gases as, for example, mixtures of hydrogen and carbon oxides or mixtures of hydrogen and nitrogen. The reaction zone is equipped with heat exchange plates and is essentially characterized in that:
The plates are connected to one another and to an external heat exchange apparatus, the assembly forming an exchange loop wherethrough flows a fluid heat carrier.
The fluid heat carrier inside the loop is subjected to a pressure substantially equal to that of the reaction gases, for example, the synthesis gases, preferably by establishing communication between the expansion chamber of the fluid heat carrier and, for example, the gas inlet into the reactor.
The plates which are plane are arranged either parallel to one another, or so as to form enclosures of parallelipiped shape.
Some of these plates may be tightly connected to the inner wall of the reactor, the assembly thus forming a deflected path wherethrough the gas is compelled to flow.
In view of their better compacity and mainly in view of the extensive mechanization which can be used during their manufacture, these plate apparatuses, during the last years, have been preferred to the tube-and-shell apparatuses in many fields of thermal exchange.
In the field of the reactors, the use of plate apparatuses remains however rare and uncommon.
Thus, there has been proposed (French Pat. No. 1 438 723) a type of reactor made of a piling of layers, some of which may contain the catalyst whereas the others determine channels for the flow of the heat-conveying agent. The different layers are separated by substantially plane plates.
This type of reactor, although of easy manufacture and of moderate price, remains however of limited use in view of its low resistance to internal pressure.